The invention relates to a dryer for the continuous flow drying of food products, in particular dough articles, along a continuous flow path of the product inside the dryer with adjustable and/or air-conditioning zones along the continuous flow path of the product, whereby the dryer has an insulating housing with side walls curved in an outer direction, which are divided along the substantially horizontal flow path of the product in each case into individual horizontal segments or longitudinal segments, which can be moved from their sealing locking position away from the housing independently of one another, such that the dryer interior is accessible for a maintenance technician.
Such dryers, in particular for dough articles, are known and have successfully been used for years in the food industry, in particular the dough industry.
In these known dryers the side doors or flaps which are designated as curved panels, and which enable access to the inside of the dryer, extend from the ceiling area to the floor area over the entire height of the dryer housing. The flaps normally articulated at their upper horizontal edge to the dryer housing are accordingly difficult to handle on account of their size and weight. On the one hand considerable force must be applied by a maintenance technician wanting to gain access to the inside of the dryer to raise the flaps and pivot them outwards, and on the other hand to tilt the flaps by a considerable angle from the dryer housing, in order to have adequate room to enter the dryer. A further disadvantage of the large flaps is their absolute distortion due to their size on account of changes in temperature. With curved flaps having a given deflexion a rise in temperature and the resulting longitudinal expansion in the case of a closed flap leads to a noticeable increase in deflexion, which in many cases results in sealing problems of the dryer door or curved panel. These sealing problems could be solved by correspondingly large seals deformable over wide areas, yet the problem of heavy and inconvenient handling remains unsolved when it comes to opening and closing.
The object of the invention therefore is to provide a dryer of the type initially outlined whose doors or curved panels enable easy handling and good ergonomics for a maintenance technician, who might want to access the inside of the dryer, and also have minimal susceptibility to sealing problems during changes in temperature.